Thursday, November 12
Kerobokan & Denpasar prisons declare all inmates cured, but govt won't disclose numbers + New PCR testing comes online in Buleleng + Tabanan swab testing all police officers + more!
Good morning! Welcome to The Bali Beat for Thursday, November 12. If you’re not a subscriber, sign up here to get this update delivered directly to your Inbox every Monday-Saturday morning, along with each evening’s Covid-19 update. If you are already a subscriber, thank you! Please be sure to share it with others in the foreigner community on the island by clicking the button below.
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Weather & Waves
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Surf Outlook
Weather forecast from Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology & Geophysics Council (Link)
Tide table from Tide-forecast.com.
Surf outlook via Windy.com.
Local Covid Numbers
*NOTE: Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
The Big News
"Prison Inmates in Bali Are Declared Cured, But the Number of Cases Has Not Been Disclosed" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): After 2 inmates tested positive for Covid-19 last month, mass rapid testing was carried out in the Kerobokan Class II A Prison and the Denpasar Class II Women's Prison. After several hundred returned reactive results, reports from sources inside the prions said that up to 181 prisoners had tested positive in follow-up swab tests, but prison and government officials never confirmed these figures. Since then, the related parties have been closed to the media... Yesterday, the Head of the Kerobokan Class IIA Penitentiary, Yulius Sahruza, revealed that all inmates had been declared cured, but he was reluctant to give the detailed number people who had tested positive. "It has been returned to the guesthouse after being isolated for more than 14 days and the results of the rapid test are no longer reactive," said Yulius. In line with Yulius, the Head of Class II Denpasar Women's Prison, Lili, expressed the same thing. That the WBP has been declared healthy and returned to their respective residences... Despite the addition of positive cases due to the prison cluster, there has been no significant increase in cases in the data for Bali Province, especially in the Kerobokan prison area. IDN Times, which also confirmed the case and recapitulation of additional cases above, did not get a response from related parties.
(Ed. Note: The IDN Times has done great work documenting the sequence of events, the disparity in reported case numbers between what had been confirmed earlier by prison officials and the numbers published by the Provincial Government each day since the outbreak, as well as the subsequent stonewalling of government officials on the matter. I highly recommend that you click the headline to read the entire report.)
"Ready to Operate, the PCR Lab in Buleleng Can Receive Specimens from Various Hospitals" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Laboratory in Buleleng Regency is now ready to operate and receive specimens from existing hospitals. Officials from Buleleng's Covid-19 Task Force and technicians from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) have completed inspections and physical checks, and assistance of 1,000 reagents for the PCR process have been delivered by the Bali Provincial Government (Pemprov). In the near future, the PCR laboratory at Buleleng Hospital will be able to receive specimens taken from the public, including patients who belong to Buleleng Hospital itself. It is also possible that specimens from private hospitals in Buleleng can be received by the PCR laboratory of Buleleng Hospital.
(Ed. Note: It’s not 100% clear from the translation, but it appears that while all testing and certification actions have been carried out by local and federal authorities, the lab may be waiting for the final paperwork from the Health Ministry to be filed before it can begin operating. Some media reports say that it has begun operations, while others clarify that it is still running internal tests and won’t be fully operational until next week. In either case, we can expect them to start processing swab test samples very soon- if they aren’t doing so already. Elsewhere, the PCR lab at Wangaya Hospital that was recently built has not begun operations yet due to issues with the physical construction of the room where the PCR machine is being housed. Administrators there expect that modifications and certification from the Provincial Health Office should be completed by 16 November.)
"Members of the Tabanan Police Carry Out Swab Tests" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): Aiming to find out whether members of the Tabanan Police and members of the Polsek are truly healthy, and to avoid the spread of Covid-19, on Wednesday a mass swab testing session was held. The testing is mandatory for all members. Testing will be carried out in stages. The first stage was attended by 80 people, and the second stage will take place on Wednesday, 18 November.
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Other Headlines
"All Vaccine Trial Volunteers Have Received Second Shot: Unpad" from The Jakarta Post: All volunteers participating in the phase three COVID-19 vaccine trial at Padjadjaran University (Unpad) have been injected with the potential vaccine twice. The trial, which commenced in August, involves 1,620 volunteers. Unpad School of Medicine professor Kusnandi Rusmil, who heads the research team for the clinical trial, said that his team would take blood samples from the volunteers within two weeks or six months after they received the vaccine. The blood test is conducted to assess how many anti-COVID-19 agents will appear as well as how effective and safe the vaccine is.
"Indonesian Central Government Working Hard to Re-open Bali for Tourists" from Bali Plus: “We, the central government, are working hard with the local government and all parties responsible for reopening Bali tourism to foreign tourists,” said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahendra Siregar. He said not all foreign tourists can travel to Bali because every country has different regulations and conditions during this pandemic. “We are still trying to meet the initial target. Of course we will gradually push it further as we are able” he said. “Whatever the development and conditions, the central government and local governments will continue to coordinate and provide each other with the latest updated information until steps for implementation can be taken,” he said.
"Klungkung Regent: Telkom Will Immediately Connect Submarine Cable to Nusa Penida" from Antara (Indonesian): The Regent of Klungkung, I Nyoman Suwirta, said that PT. Telkom Indonesia, which will immediately establish a submarine cable connection in Nusa Penida, Klungkung Regency, Bali, in order to improve the quality of the local internet signal. "Although currently there are several towers (telecommunication towers) being built in Nusa Penida, overall internet signal is still an obstacle because not all areas have been accessed," said Regent Suwirta. So far, the internet network in Nusa Penida, global access still uses a radio system that was fired from the Kusamba area. If all goes well, it is certain that in February or March 2021, the submarine cables will be laid out, so that the weak signal problems, slow capacitors in Nusa Penida, will be resolved.
"As Mount Agung Alert Level is Downgraded, Climbing Activity Increases" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): Evidently, climbing activity on the highest mountain in Bali has returned to life after the decline in the status of Mount Agung. "Almost every day there are people who hike, but mostly domestic tourists, I rarely see foreign tourists," explained the resident, who was reluctant to provide his name... According to the appeal from the PVMBG, although the status of Mount Agung has been lowered to level II alert, the potential threat of disaster still exists. Even clearly, PVMBG also recommends that residents and visitors do not do activities or climb within a two-kilometer radius of the crater peak of Mount Agung.
"With So Many Arrests for Illegal Racing, The Council Will Discuss Building Circuits in Bali" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The Indonesian Motor Association for the Bali region suggested that a circuit in Bali be built. However, this also cannot be realized. But that doesn't mean that hope has been dashed. A member of the Bali DPRD who is in charge of infrastructure, AA Adhi Ardana, sees wild racing as part of the expression of young people in finding identity. "Well, this should be responded to in order to become a positive activity with the IMI program policy in street races, and let us sit together mapping our road situation in Bali," he said. He continued, this may be multi-functional in a standardized manner so that it can meet the needs related to the street race.
"Indonesia Signs ASEAN Agreement to Reduce Non-tariff Barriers for Essential Goods" from The Jakarta Post: The government has joined the other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in signing an agreement on relaxing non-tariff measures (NTM) for the trade of essential goods during the COVID-19 pandemic. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be valid for the next two years and cover trade for 152 medical products. The goods included in the agreement are those directly used for pandemic handling. Food is excluded as it was deemed a sensitive subject, said Antonius Yudi Triantoro, the director of ASEAN negotiation at the Trade Ministry.
"Australian National Among 3 Arrested for Alleged Drug Trafficking and Possession" from Coconuts: The Denpasar Police recently arrested two local residents and an Australian national for alleged trafficking and possession of crystal methamphetamine, with authorities suspecting that they may be part of a larger criminal network. The men said they had been instructed to pick up the drug by someone else, later identified as the Australian, who was located in Kerobokan. Police said they found a bong at the location and promptly arrested the foreigner, who said that the three of them planned on using the drugs together. Under Indonesia’s notoriously harsh drug laws, the suspects each face a maximum of 12 years in prison and a fine of up to IDR8 billion (US$569,758).
"Getting Ready! The Number of Airlines for the Bandung-Bali Route at Husein Airport Increases" from PRFM News (Indonesian): Bandung Husein Sastranegara Airport will increase the number of airlines serving the Bandung - Denpasar (Bali) flight route. After Citilink, Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air, Air Aisa will enliven the route. Executive General Manager of the Bandung Airport Branch Office Husein Sastranegara, R Iwan Winaya Mahdar, confirmed that Air Asia's Bandung - Bali flight route will start on December 16, 2020.
How You Can Help
In response to the collapse of the tourism sector in Bali and the resulting economic crisis, dozens of individuals and organizations have sprung into action, raising funds and distributing badly needed food and everyday essentials to the innumerable families who have suddenly found themselves without any source of income. We've been making an effort to document and raise awareness of these efforts. We will add information on projects in this space as we are able to confirm them. If you'd like to see a list of the efforts that we've featured so far and contribute to them with either time or money, visit our complete list here. You can also see a list of projects that have registered themselves at BaliSolidarity.org. If you know of an effort and would like to have them listed, please send their information to newsletter@migrationmedia.net.
About This Newsletter
This newsletter is a product of Migration Media, the hub for stories from and about the international migrant experience.
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